BAR Mailbag: Who's to blame for the pitching?

The Blog Above Replacement is a daily look at the Reds, their minor leagues and whatever else is on the mind of Enquirer Reds beat writers, C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan. You can follow them on Twitter (@ctrent and @ZachENQ), Facebook (C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan) and Instagram (ENQReds).

Happy Friday. Let's get to your Reds questions.

@ZachENQ With so many pitchers struggling to find the strike zone, could it be a coaching staff issue? (i.e. minors, development etc.) #heyBARtender

I don't think it's a coaching staff issue. That wouldn't explain why Sal Romano was so good in Triple-A before getting hurt, or why Tyler Mahle and Luis Castillo have been so good commanding the ball in Double-A.

This is just what happens when young pitchers adjust to the big leagues, and the Reds are breaking in a lot of young pitchers. It's the volume that's getting your attention, and that's because no other team is auditioning so many guys like this.

Plus, you can't cherry-pick your struggling pitchers to blame on the coaching staff. If you want to blame the coaches for Robert Stephenson or Cody Reed, you have to give them credit for Amir Garrett (yesterday notwithstanding), Michael Lorenzen, Raisel Iglesias and so on.

Young pitchers will struggle as they adjust to the majors. The only thing notable about the Reds is how many they've decided to rely upon.

Seeing as the reds starting rotation is an utter disaster (again), and the fact they can't rely upon Bailey or DeSclafani, do you see them making some moves for SP for next year? Or are they just going to watch their young guys get walloped for another 2 years before we see any improvement? Wasting prime years from some players. – Adam Foskey

I don't see them going after a top-tier starter. They have too many good pitching prospects in this system, and Romano, Mahle and Castillo haven't even really had the chance to show what they can do. Have you seen what Vladimir Gutierrez is doing at High-A? They've got the arms.

However, Scott Feldman and Bronson Arroyo will be free agents after this year. You're right in saying you can't assume you'll get anything from Homer Bailey at this point. I think you can be a bit more confident in counting on Anthony DeSclafani if he makes it back this summer as hoped. So I could see signing a back-end rotation guy to a one-year deal to eat innings.

My understanding is Brendan McKay is seen as a slightly better pitcher. The University of Louisville junior is a left-hander who has a 2.22 ERA and is striking out 12.3 batters per nine this year. He's also hit .363/.482/.687 with 15 home runs and more walks than strikeouts.

My guess is that a pitcher's stuff is a little more projectable – and McKay throws in the mid-90s – but there may be teams who prefer him as a hitter.

Triple-A: Louisville 11, Toledo 2. LHP Cody Reed had a strong outing, allowing two runs over seven innings. He walked three and struck out nine. RF Jesse Winker went 3-for-5 with a double, and 2B Hernan Iribarren tripled and homered. [Box]

Double-A: Pensacola 3, Mobile 2. RHP Tyler Mahle went six innings, allowing two runs and striking out four. The Blue Wahoos scored all three of their runs in the final two innings for the win. LF Gaby Guerrero went 3 for 4, and RF Aristides Aquino tripled. [Box]

High-A: Bradenton 5, Daytona 3. RHP Jonathon Crawford labored through 3 1/3 innings, walking five and allowing three runs. 2B Shed Long went 2 for 4 and is now hitting .322 with an .874 OPS. [Box]

Today in Zach Watches Too Many Movies and TV Shows: I'm about halfway through the first season of Iron Fist on Netflix, and it is not as bad as everyone suggested. It's not great, and the first two episodes were kind of boring, but it's fine. I never fell in love with any of the Marvel shows on Netflix, despite Luke Cage and Jessica Jones drawing positive reviews.